On Dec. 13, NASA's Landsat 8 satellite snapped lava winding down
Etna's snowy slopes — the aftermath of a Dec. 2 eruption. In the
image, volcanic gas puffed from Etna's New Southeast Crater, the
source of spectacular lava fountains seen in recent months from
nearby villages, according to
NASA's Earth Observatory.

The volcano erupted again on Dec. 14, the day after the satellite
caught the fresh mix of fire and ice. Mount Etna, on the island
of Sicily, is one of the most
active volcanoes on Earth, spouting ash, gas and lava several
times a year. The burst of activity forced the closure of
Sicily's Catania and Comiso airports, according to news reports.

On Dec. 15, new vents opened on a cone at Etna's New Southeast
Crater, fountaining lava into the air, according to Italy's
National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology (INGV). Huge
bursting magma bubbles and loud blasts rattled windows several
miles (tens of kilometers) away.